Cardiovascular disease remains the number one killer in western nations in spite of declines
in death rates following improvements in clinical care. It has been 20 years since David …

Birth weight is inversely associated with risk of adult cardiovascular disease, and evidence
exists that fetal adaptation to challenges in the intrauterine environment may adversely affect …

The placenta is a key organ in programming the fetus for later disease. This review outlines
nine of many structural and physiological features of the placenta which are associated with …

The development of the fetal heart is exquisitely controlled by a multitude of factors, ranging
from humoral to mechanical forces. The gatekeeper regulating many of these factors is the …

Over the past quarter century, the scientific community has gained a new perspective on the
origins of chronic disease, which now includes a central role for the placenta. It began when …

The placenta is the largest fetal organ, and toward the end of pregnancy the umbilical
circulation receives at least 40% of the biventricular cardiac output. It is not surprising …

Epidemiological evidence suggests that size at birth may affect health in later life. The
growth of the fetus may be adversely affected by a suboptimal maternal environment …

The fetal origins hypothesis proposes that adult cardiovascular and metabolic disease
originate through developmental plasticity and fetal adaptations arising from failure of the …

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect, affecting~ 1% of all live
births (van der Linde et al.,). Despite improvements in clinical care, it is the leading cause of …

Congenital heart defects (CHD) occur in∼ 1 in every 100 live births. In addition, an
estimated 10% of fetal loss is due to severe forms of CHD. This makes heart defects the most …